I’ve seen several Plotters on Twitter recently. I’m referring to the writers who, before actually writing their novels, draft lengthy outlines or diagrams; sometimes they’re seen covering their walls in sticky notes or going all Albert Einstein on a chalk or dry-erase board.
I’m not a fan of any of this, but whatever helps them write, right? I’m sure many pieces of fine literature have been born out of exhausting outlines or plot diagrams.
Maybe. But plotting a novel out before writing it is simply not how I work. As a young writer, it never occurred to me to draft an outline or diagram my story. Nowadays, the notion does occasionally occur to me, as I look at some writers’ tweets and ponder their methods… but I still choose to avoid all that dreadful planning. We’ve all got our own methods, right?
Sure. I do feel, however, that there are legitimate reasons to avoid such intricate planning. So allow me, Plotters, to discuss them in an effort to convince you:
Creation. Stephen King states in On Writing: “I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren’t compatible.” If the story you’re writing is a true labor of love, not just an effort to make a buck or meet a deadline, then the story itself will almost always guide you—the writer—along, usually through the choices of its characters. And when you let the story do the work, you’ll stumble upon those magical twists and turns that surprise even the creator. Even the most ardent of plotters, at least the ones I’ve encountered, admit that their stories sometimes veer from their outlines, requiring them to revise their outlines, usually numerous times.
So, why outline? Why risk stifling your story even the slightest bit by placing it all out there before it’s even created?
The most common answer to this question, that I’ve seen, is security (this alone says all that needs to be said, but still): When you know where you’re going, the Plotters say, you’re less likely to steer your narrative straight into a wall or off a cliff; you’re less likely to inflict upon yourself frustration-induced writer’s block. To this, I say: Stop! You aren’t supposed to steer anything anywhere. Your story, as I mentioned earlier, should steer itself. Listen to the story and you’ll eventually wind up at a logical conclusion. Any loose ends or meanderings can be tightened up or omitted in revisions, but the story will lead you somewhere. If it doesn’t, maybe it shouldn’t exist. Artificially forcing it somewhere with a convenient plot device certainly isn’t your answer. If you mess too much with those, you’ll get the other dreaded “p” word: predictability.
Time. I mentioned earlier that even the most ardent Plotters end up somewhere unexpected; thus, they spend time adjusting their outlines accordingly. So why spend days or weeks or (dear God) months planning something that you know can’t accurately be planned? All that time spent drafting and revising and re-revising an outline or a diagram is time that could have been spent writing or revising a story that honest-to-God guided itself. Either way, the time spent will likely be about the same—there is nothing easy about outlining or taming a wild beast—so why not go with the most exciting, unpredictable, least-artificial route, the route most likely to surprise both reader and author?
Reality. This isn’t the English Renaissance. I assume most of us aren’t time travelers who are writing five-act plays to be performed before King James. We’re writing novels. And writing novels should be a passion and at least a little bit fun. Otherwise, why do it? To heck with inciting incidents and rising actions and climaxes and blah blah blah. Leave all that where it belongs: in the classroom. Most stories will naturally have some logical order: a beginning, a middle, and an end. That’s all you need. Take off and run and have some fun. Finish what you start and clean up the inevitable messes during revisions. You’re going to do all of that revising and editing stuff, anyway, unless you’re a hack or have no idea how much first drafts suck. If your story turns into a beast that’s difficult to handle, by all means, take some notes for the sake of reference and organization, jot down key info about your huge cast of characters, important dates, etc.
But let the story work itself out. It’ll be more fun for you, and for your readers. I truly believe it.
Peace, Plotters.
Sincerely,
A Pantser
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